History TabletopGame / DungeonsAndDragons

*** ''Crypts & Things Remastered'': A revised version of the original ''Crypts & Things''. Adds five new "exotic" classes: Beast Hybrid, Disciple, Elementalist, Lizard People, and Serpent Noble. Life Events where changed: the Barbarian, Fighter, Sorcerer, Thief, Disciple, and Elementalist get two Life Events (homeland and how they learned their trade), while the Beast Hybrid, Serpent Noble, and Lizard People get only one.

** The second version was released as the main setting for 1st Edition Advanced D&D. Surprised by the sheer popularity of the setting, Gygax spent a number of years recreating and fleshing out the setting to make it different from the OLGC version, with a 32-page folio released in 1980 and the full boxed set released in 1983. Mainly covers the Flanaess region of the continent of Oerik, but was eventually supposed to cover the rest of Oerik and eventually the whole of Oerth. Discontinued after 3.x Edition, although it did receive a "GrandFinale" of sorts with the ''Living Greyhawk'' campaign that spanned the entire 3.x Edition production time (2000-2008). Semi-revived in Fifth Edition as reference material, with the setting's first proper 5e outing being the ''Ghosts of Saltmarsh'' adventure collection.

** ''Crypts & Things Remastered'': A revised version of the original ''Crypts & Things''. Adds five new "exotic" classes: Beast Hybrid, Disciple, Elementalist, Lizard People, and Serpent Noble. Life Events where changed: the Barbarian, Fighter, Sorcerer, Thief, Disciple, and Elementalist get two Life Events (homeland and how they learned their trade), while the Beast Hybrid, Serpent Noble, and Lizard People get only one.

** '''Scarlet Heroes''': Created by Kevin Crawford. Unusual in that it is designed to be played with only one, or at most a couple, of [=PCs=] while still being compatible with other old-school material.

** ''[[http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Oakes_Spalding Seven Voyages of Zylarthen]]'': A neo-clone of 1974 ''D&D'' by Oakes Spalding and published by Campion & Clitherow. Apparently named after "Xylarthen", the example Magic-User character in the original ''Men & Magic'' booklet. Removes the Cleric class and replaces it with the Thief class, but makes up for it by granting all classes the ability to Turn Undead while presenting the proper holy symbol and adding the Cleric spells to the Magic-User's spell lists. Priests are instead restricted to solely being [=NPCs=], alongside Druids, Paladins, and Rangers. Thieves have a simpler repertoire of abilities compared to the original's table of rolling percentile dice. Dwarves, elves, and halfings are available as playable races and have the same restrictions they had in 0e, although halflings are restricted to being a Thief instead of a Fighting-Man. Combat uses three matrix tables: Man vs Man/Monster (Melee), Man vs Man/Monster (Missile), and Monsters Attacking. The original five saving throws are used. Equipment prices are based on a silver standard, rather than the usual gold standard. Available as either a series of individual print paperback booklets or an all-in-one PDF of the initial four booklets plus the supplement booklet.

''Dungeons & Dragons'', shortened to ''D&D'', was first published in 1974 by Creator/{{TSR}} (Tactical Studies Rules). TSR founder Creator/GaryGygax based the system of the game on TSR's miniatures combat system, ''Chainmail''. The game revolves around the now-classic set-up of a GameMaster (known in official ''D&D'' terms as the Dungeon Master), who controls all the non-player characters; and the players, who each control a Player Character and deal with the challenges provided by the Dungeon Master.

The history of ''D&D'' is more than a little complicated. It started life as [[TabletopGame/OriginalDungeonsAndDragons a companion book]] to a miniature-based tabletop wargame called ''[[http://index.rpg.net/display-search.phtml?key=system&value=Chainmail&sort=system,systemversion Chainmail]]''.[[note]]The miniatures gaming influence can still be seen today, in the Armor Class system. Instead of armor reducing the damage from a successful hit, the armor class in ''D&D'' reduces the odds of an injuring blow landing in the first place, as it takes into account the ability to dodge a hit, and assumes armor absorbs weak and glancing hits (but if the blow does land fully, it does full damage). This is a little odd from a reality-modeling standpoint but works beautifully in a mass-combat system where a unit is either alive or dead with no hit points to track.[[/note]] Due to CreativeDifferences between the creators, the original game became split into ''TabletopGame/BasicDungeonsAndDragons'' aimed at beginning players, and the more complex (and ultimately more popular) ''[[TabletopGame/AdvancedDungeonsAndDragons1stEdition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]]'' in 1977.

In the mid-1980s a corporate power struggle inside TSR caused Gary Gygax to be ousted from the company. In 1989, the group left behind codified the official rules tweaks and unofficial suggestions that had accumulated in the meantime into ''TabletopGame/AdvancedDungeonsAndDragons2ndEdition''. It continued in popularity for a time, but by the late 90s, mismanagement of the company led TSR into bankruptcy.

* ''TabletopGame/AdvancedDungeonsAndDragonsSecondEdition'', aka '''2E''' (1989): A refinement of ''1E'', made partly to streamline and refine the ''1E'' rules, and partly in response to backlash against the game due to the SatanicPanic of the [=80s=].

In the mid-1980s a corporate power struggle inside TSR caused Gary Gygax to be ousted from the company. In 1989, the group left behind codified the official rules tweaks and unofficial suggestions that had accumulated in the meantime into ''TabletopGame/AdvancedDungeonsAndDragonsSecondEdition''. It continued in popularity for a time, but by the late 90s, mismanagement of the company led TSR into bankruptcy.

** For more information on the planes of ''Magic'', [[MagicTheGathering/Planes see here]].

** For more information on the planes of ''Magic'', [[see here]].

* ''The Planes of the TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering Multiverse'': Ever since Wizards acquisition of the ''D&D'' brand back in September of 1999, they have kept a strict policy of never crossing their two biggest brands over with each other, keeping them distinct entities. Though a number of fans have been hoping for ''some'' kind of cross-promotion for years. This would change when James Wyatt (former member of the ''D&D Next'' development team and current narrative head of ''Magic'') decided to compile and release some of his homebrew ideas into a free PDF supplement titled ''[[https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/plane-shift-zendikar-2016-04-27 Plane Shift: Zendikar]]'', detailing the temple-and-jungle-filled plane, in April of 2016, as a companion piece to his ''Art of Magic: the Gathering -- Zendikar'' art book (the book would provide the lore while the PDF provided the rules). This was a rousing success, with Wyatt release more supplements alongside more art books, collecting [[http://www.dragonmag.com/5.0/#!/article/106375/102161027 Innistrad]] (which included lore conversion rules for ''TabletopGame/CurseOfStrahd'', as their releases had coincidentally synchronized), [[http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/plane-shift-kaladesh Kaladesh]], [[http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/plane-shift-amonkhet Amonkhet]], [[https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/plane-shift-ixalan-2018-01-09 Ixalan]], and [[https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/plane-shift-dominaria-2018-07-31 Dominaria]] under the ''Plane Shift'' umbrella over the course of the next two years, with each garnering more praise than the next. The ''D&D'' team, the ''Magic'' team, and the Hasbro higher-ups saw potential in a full-fledged Magic sourcebooks for D&D:

** The Eberron setting puts a unique spin on the concept of alignment as well. There are no AlwaysChaoticEvil or AlwaysLawfulGood races; any intelligent creature (including sentient undead) can be of any alignment, and even clerics don't necessarily have to be of the same alignment as the god(s) they worship... or don't, since divine magic in Eberron isn't actually tied to any specific deity. There are "angels" in the setting, and that's what a cleric gets if he casts a spell like ''Commune''. However, if pressed, the angels will admit that even ''they'' haven't ever actually seen any deities. About the closest the world comes to AlwaysChaoticEvil is the aberrations. Changelings aren't, but are treated as such by most other humanoid races.

** The Eberron setting puts a unique spin on the concept of alignment as well. There are no AlwaysChaoticEvil races; any intelligent creature (including sentient undead) can be of any alignment, and even clerics don't necessarily have to be of the same alignment as the god(s) they worship... or don't, since divine magic in Eberron isn't actually tied to any specific deity. There are "angels" in the setting, and that's what a cleric gets if he casts a spell like ''Commune''. However, if pressed, the angels will admit that even ''they'' haven't ever actually seen any deities. About the closest the world comes to AlwaysChaoticEvil is the aberrations. Changelings aren't, but are treated as such by most other humanoid races.

* ''TabletopGame/AdvancedDungeonsAndDragonsFirstEdition'', aka '''1E''' (1977): A more complex version of D&D with additional classes, races, and mechanics, intended to be played alongside ''Basic'', and released piecemeal - the ''Monster Manual'' in '77, the ''Player's Handbook'' in '78 and the ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' in '79.

The history of ''D&D'' is more than a little complicated. It started life as [[TabletopGame/OriginalDungeonsAndDragons a companion book]] to a miniature-based tabletop wargame called ''[[http://index.rpg.net/display-search.phtml?key=system&value=Chainmail&sort=system,systemversion Chainmail]]''.[[note]]The miniatures gaming influence can still be seen today, in the Armor Class system. Instead of armor reducing the damage from a successful hit, the armor class in ''D&D'' reduces the odds of an injuring blow landing in the first place, as it takes into account the ability to dodge a hit, and assumes armor absorbs weak and glancing hits (but if the blow does land fully, it does full damage). This is a little odd from a reality-modeling standpoint but works beautifully in a mass-combat system where a unit is either alive or dead with no hit points to track.[[/note]] Due to CreativeDifferences between the creators, the original game became split into ''TabletopGame/BasicDungeonsAndDragons'' aimed at beginning players, and the more complex (and ultimately more popular) ''[[TabletopGame/AdvancedDungeonsAndDragonsFirstEdition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]]'' in 1977.

The history of ''D&D'' is more than a little complicated. It started as [[TabletopGame/OriginalDungeonsAndDragons a companion book]] to a miniature-based tabletop wargame called ''[[http://index.rpg.net/display-search.phtml?key=system&value=Chainmail&sort=system,systemversion Chainmail.]]''[[note]]The miniatures gaming influence can still be seen today, in the Armor Class system. Instead of armor reducing the damage from a successful hit, the armor class in ''D&D'' reduces the odds of an injuring blow landing in the first place, as it takes into account the ability to dodge a hit, and assumes armor absorbs weak and glancing hits (but if the blow does land fully, it does full damage). This is a little odd from a reality-modeling standpoint but works beautifully in a mass-combat system where a unit is either alive or dead with no hit points to track.[[/note]] Due to CreativeDifferences between the creators, the original game became split into ''TabletopGame/BasicDungeonsAndDragons'' aimed at beginning players, and the more complex (and ultimately more popular) ''[[TabletopGame/AdvancedDungeonsAndDragonsFirstEdition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]]'' in 1977.

'''''[[TropeCodifier The]]''''' TabletopRPG. While ''Dungeons & Dragons'' may not have created tabletop roleplaying games, it codified many of the mechanics and tropes associated with them, is what most people picture when they think of a tabletop RPG (even if they've never played one), and is by far the most popular tabletop RPG of all time.

The history of ''D&D'' is more than a little complicated. It started as [[TabletopGame/OriginalDungeonsAndDragons a companion book]] to a miniature-based tabletop wargame called ''[[http://index.rpg.net/display-search.phtml?key=system&value=Chainmail&sort=system,systemversion Chainmail]]''.[[note]]The miniatures gaming influence can still be seen today, in the Armor Class system. Instead of armor reducing the damage from a successful hit, the armor class in ''D&D'' reduces the odds of an injuring blow landing in the first place, as it takes into account the ability to dodge a hit, and assumes armor absorbs weak and glancing hits (but if the blow does land fully, it does full damage). This is a little odd from a reality-modeling standpoint but works beautifully in a mass-combat system where a unit is either alive or dead with no hit points to track.[[/note]] Due to CreativeDifferences between the creators, the original game became split into ''TabletopGame/BasicDungeonsAndDragons'' aimed at beginning players, and the more complex (and ultimately more popular) ''[[TabletopGame/AdvancedDungeonsAndDragonsFirstEdition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]]'' in 1977.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[TagLine The World's Greatest Roleplaying Game]]]]

''Dungeons & Dragons'' is one of the {{Trope Codifier}}s of the modern era, having single-handedly mashed swords and sorcery and epic high fantasy into the fantasy genre as we know it today, and having been the source of more than a few of the UsefulNotes/RoleplayingGameTerms and RPGElements that the influential [[RolePlayingGame computer RPG]] genre was founded on. Many, many excellent computer games (especially [=RPGs=]) have also been made directly off the ''[=D&D=]'' license. It is also commonly seen as the most popular {{Nerd}} game due to all the strategic elements involved.

* ''CriticalRoleCallOfTheNetherdeep''

* ''Film/DungeonsAndDragonsHonorAmongThieves'' (Reboot film)

* ''TabletopGame/NentirVale'': Default pseudo-setting for 4th edition. [[CataclysmBackstory The great empires of mortals were destroyed]] [[AndManGrewProud in a magic war]], leaving behind scattered remnants of civilization in small pockets (described as "points of light") surrounded by dangerous monsters and abandoned and forgotten magic and technology.

For the animated series based on the game, see ''WesternAnimation/DungeonsAndDragons1983''. For the Creator/{{Bally}} {{pinball}} game, see ''Pinball/DungeonsAndDragons1987''. There are also three movies. The first (''Film/DungeonsAndDragons2000'') is InNameOnly. The second (''[[Film/DungeonsAndDragonsWrathOfTheDragonGod Wrath of the Dragon God]]'') [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel is a lot better]], despite being made on a low budget. The third, ''Film/DungeonsAndDragonsTheBookOfVileDarkness'', was a made-for-cable-TV affair that premiered on Creator/{{Syfy}} in November 2012. A reboot of the film franchise is currently planned by Creator/{{Paramount}}, with the debut installment, ''Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves'', due for release on March 3, 2023.

* ''Exandria'': The setting of the popular live ''D&D'' stream ''WebVideo/CriticalRole.'' It became an official setting in 2019 with the ''Explorer's Guide to Wildemount'', which details the cold continent filled with political intrigue and horrible remnants of a GreatOffscreenWar. It also retroactively ties the events of both seasons of the stream and Creator/MatthewMercer's earlier ''[[TabletopGame/CriticalRoleTaldoreiCampaignSetting Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting]]'' into the ''D&D'' multiverse. Exandria's simultaneous status as an official ''and'' third party setting means it has to come up with ''[[WritingAroundTrademarks creative ways]]'' to sometimes sidestep its own official status; particularly noticeable in WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfVoxMachina and the re-release of the Tal'Dorei source book.

* ''Exandria'': The setting of the popular live ''D&D'' stream ''WebVideo/CriticalRole.'' It became an official setting in 2019 with the ''Explorer's Guide to Wildemount'', which details the cold continent filled with political intrigue and horrible remnants of a GreatOffscreenWar. It also retroactively ties the events of both seasons of the stream and Creator/MatthewMercer's earlier ''[[TabletopGame/CriticalRoleTaldoreiCampaignSetting Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting]]'' into the ''D&D'' multiverse. Exandria's simultaneous status as an official ''and'' third party setting means it has to come up with ''[[WritingAroundTrademarks creative ways]]'' to sometimes sidestep its own official status; particularly noticeable in [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfVoxMachina]] and the re-release of the Tal'Dorei source book.